Topic: Is the Name Really That Bad?

[NWR_insanolord]

The reaction to the Wii U name seems way out of proportion.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/blog/26718

Going into E3, rumors and speculation regarding Nintendo's next console were all over the place. In addition to technical specs and controller features, one of the hottest topics was what the new system would be named. Everyone seemed to agree that the Project Café codename wouldn't stick, but lots of alternatives were offered with varying degrees of "evidence" to back them up: Nintendo Stream, Nintendo Biim, and just plain Nintendo were just a few possibilities you could find scattered around the Internet.

What we finally got at Tuesday’s Nintendo E3 press conference wasn't among those, however. Instead of moving on from the Wii brand (which, lest we forget, had quite the controversy over its name following its initial reveal), Nintendo announced that the next console would be called Wii U.

And then the Internet exploded.

At the time, I didn't realize how big a deal this was going to be. I was too busy with my staff duties, making sure the news from the event got posted as soon as it happened, to be paying attention to public opinion. I only found out later, when I had time to go back and read the massive forum threads, that this was hugely important to a lot of people.

Let me make this clear: I don't think Wii U is a good name. It's not the direction I would have taken, and I think Nintendo certainly could have done better. But is it really bad enough to warrant the theatrics it has brought? I've seen people dismiss the console based purely on the name. I know someone who actually turned the press conference off entirely upon hearing the name, not bothering to actually see what the console could do. I've seen and heard members of the gaming media, who really should be above this kind of thing, spending far too much time talking about the name of the system, at the expense of discussion about aspects that actually matter.

We need to get past this, people. It's just a name. It has no bearing on the quality of the hardware, or on the experiences it makes possible. A dumb name doesn't have any effect on a game console, which is proven by the fact that most game console names sound pretty dumb, at least the first time you hear them. Over time, though, that goes away. As I mentioned earlier, the Wii brought about even more hyperbolic outrage than the Wii U has, at least so far, and while the system certainly has its faults, I don't think any sane person could blame those on its name.

The Wii U name has been totally blown out of proportion, and we need to stop treating it like it's some kind of major offense. Yes, it seems like it was a mistake, but I'd rather they make their mistakes on something trivial like this than something that will actually affect me when I'm playing it. Hands-on impressions of it have been positive, and developers seem very happy with it. Nintendo did good where it counts, so why don't we cut them a break on something as minor as this is.

[Ceric]

Right.  Now lets all get over the terrible name and complain about what really matters.
Only 1 uMote can be used on the system.  Not to mention what is the controller actually called?

[UltimatePartyBear]

I didn't know there was an outcry.  It's just building off the Wii name, so any terribleness is merely residue from the previous name.  Plus, Nintendo would be crazy to drop the recognizable Wii brand now, so the new name is no surprise.

I have trouble reading it without imagining sirens, though.

[KeyBilly]

Thank you for this article.  It's amazing how childish the gaming press has been about this.  I actually think the name is good, if a bit clumsy.

@UnfathomableUrsineReveler

If you think of it as a university (Wii University... Wii U), I think it rolls off the tongue more fluidly.

[gbuell]

Regardless of whether you like the name or not, Nintendo is keeping it, so the sooner you can get used to it (just like you did with the Wii), the better for your mental well-being. What good could come out of whining about the name for weeks and weeks?

[Kytim89]

Super Wii or bust.

[Nick DiMola]

I think the name is pretty good. It continues the Wii branding, which I figured it would and adds a bit more. It now says that it's not just about "We" as a group, but is about "You" as well. Based on what we saw at E3 there is going to be a convergence on the system between core and casual, which the namely demonstrates tactfully.

We're all used to the Wii name anyway, is this really that much different? Better than Vita, anyhow...

[Adrock]

As I stated before, the name is silly, but I'll live. I won't lose sleep over it and it's certainly not going to affect my decision to buy the console. I liked what I saw of WiiU at Nintendo's press conference, from the controller to the 3rd party (pre) announcements to the bird/cherry blossom tech demo. All really cool stuff.

However, as I previously brought up in another topic, I do wonder if consumers, specially the non-gamer crowd who Nintendo so stunningly attracted in droves, will get confused over the name. I use my many years of working retail as evidence of this potential issue. People suck and they're stupid. I believe "Wii 2" would have been better, "NintendoStream" even better still. Both are silly but I think they say more to the average consumer than "WiiU" does, despite Nintendo's reasoning behind the name.

Honestly, I find most videogame hardware to have really dumb names. Xbox? What the **** is an Xbox? The name ultimately is not or should not be a dealbreaker but a name that doesn't confuse people not well-versed in videogames is always a plus, especially when you're trying to sell to those same people.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Now I wish I had actually started working on that pic of an ambulance racing to the scene of an accident while making the weeooh weeooh weeooh sound.

seemed like too much work for a GIMP novice like myself.

[gbuell]

Maybe Sega is working on Crazy Ambulance for the system.

[Chozo Ghost]

There are two reasons why the name of a console matters, and why this name in particular is terrible:

1) Enthusiasm. A name matters because the better the name, the more enthusiastic people are about the product. If the name is lame then people will be unenthusiastic and the entire experience of playing it suffers. It matters as much as it matters to have a good mascot or name for a sports team. Sports fans want to get behind a team that has a badass name like Vikings or Lions or whatever. Would sports fans want to get behind a team with some Pee Wee name? The name does have an impact on player morale. I'm sorry, but it does... and it does matter.

2) Brand confusion. The name is confusing because it doesn't distinguish itself very much from its predecessor. The middle-aged people who make up the Casual market are not very tech savvy and odds are they do not watch E3 or keep up to date on all the gamign headlines. They may not realize this is an entirely new console. People are going to think the Wii-U refers to the tablet thing, and think its a peripheral they can buy for their Wii.

It especially hurts matters that the actual Wii-U console is designed to look pretty much identical to the existing Wii. It even has the same color and so on. People may be confused and think its just some new revision as opposed to a new console with far greater capabilties.

[UltimatePartyBear]

New ad campaign: Two Japanese men drive up in a Wii U themed ambulance and announce, "Wii would like to play... with U!"  And then they leer creepily.

[Chozo Ghost]

Super Wii or bust.

Kytime, what you could do is consider the U in Wii-U to stand for "Uber". In German the word "Uber means "Super", so if you call it Wii Uber then that's not too far off from what you want.

[ThomasO]

Brand confusion. The name is confusing because it doesn't distinguish itself very much from its predecessor.

Didn't stop people who owned the "Nintendo Entertainment System" from buying the "Super Nintendo Entertainment System." Nor Playstation 1, 2, or 3.

[Chozo Ghost]

Brand confusion. The name is confusing because it doesn't distinguish itself very much from its predecessor.

Didn't stop people who owned the "Nintendo Entertainment System" from buying the "Super Nintendo Entertainment System."

But imagine if the successor to the NES was called NES-U and the console's appearance and color was more or less identical to its predecessor. You also have to take into account that the NES was made up of Core gamers who understood gaming and read gaming magazines to keep informed about stuff. The Wii is different because the typical owner is a middle-aged soccer mom or grandmother.

The bottom line is the Super NES console looked dramatically different than the NES and had entirely different cartridges, and also Super NES is a superior transition name from NES than Wii-U is from Wii. The Super part comes first in the title, and Super means it is superior. What does the -U suffix suggest?

[BlackNMild2k1]

New ad campaign: Two Japanese men drive up in a Wii U themed ambulance and announce, "Wii would like to play... with U!"  And then they leer creepily.

[Chocobo_Rider]

My simple thoughts...

They could have/should have had something much better.

Nintendo will have 2 problems with this name:

1. As stated above, the expanded audience may not even HEAR the difference in a conversation.  "Oh, the Wii U? I have one of those."  The expanded audience, contrary to popular belief, is not stupid, but it would just be such an honest mistake to make if you weren't thinking about it.

2. Nintendo wants to win back the """hardcore"""? The """hardcore""" are extremely image conscious.  They would have a hard time playing their favorite game of all time on something called the Wii.  The "Wii U" only compounds that problem.

~

As for my opinion?  Not only is it awkward to say ("weeoooweeoooweeooo"), but it doesn't even make sense to me!

Wii = We.
u = You.

"We you"? Who are we even talking about here!?

Ultimately, I'll get over it, and in hindsight, PlayStation would have gotten a bad rap if the internet were bigger at the time.  ("Is it for toddlers? Is it made of plastic? Don't I have one of those in my back yard?") But, at the same time I would jump for joy if Nintendo announced a new name next E3 or something.

[Chozo Ghost]

The name Nintendo chose just proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that they don't give a damn about the hardcore market anymore. They said they were trying to win back hardcore gamers, but the name proves they are still trying to AOLize gaming.

[Ceric]

Now I wish I had actually started working on that pic of an ambulance racing to the scene of an accident while making the weeooh weeooh weeooh sound. seemed like too much work for a GIMP novice like myself.

I like to put some smoking out the back tires but that's beyond me right this sec and I really should be working.  The Ambulance is from Macross.

[Chozo Ghost]

The Wii-U logo looks like a toilet seat, IMHO. It looks like something someone would sit down on and take a dump...

[UltimatePartyBear]

It looks like a shoulder bag to me, with the strap lying in front of it.  I think it looks kind of like a shop logo.

[Ian Sane]

I hated the name "Wii" so since this follows the same convention would be make sense for me to hate it as well.  I actually think it is awkward to pronounce.  "Whee-yoo" does not really roll off the tongue... unless you're Japanese which kind of reveals the likely source of the name to begin with.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Now I wish I had actually started working on that pic of an ambulance racing to the scene of an accident while making the weeooh weeooh weeooh sound.

seemed like too much work for a GIMP novice like myself.

I like to put some smoking out the back tires but that's beyond me right this sec and I really should be working.  The Ambulance is from Macross.

if you could replace the sirens with the gifs too, that would be perfect.

[Ceric]

Now I wish I had actually started working on that pic of an ambulance racing to the scene of an accident while making the weeooh weeooh weeooh sound.

seemed like too much work for a GIMP novice like myself.

I like to put some smoking out the back tires but that's beyond me right this sec and I really should be working.  The Ambulance is from Macross.

if you could replace the sirens with the gifs too, that would be perfect.

You meant the Spinning Sirens?  I don't know how to do that off the top of me head and keep the spinning.

[readyletsgo]

'Kung Pow Enter the Fist' Anyone?
wiiu wiiU wiiiiiIIIIIU WIIIIIIIIIIU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Chozo Ghost]

I hated the name "Wii" so since this follows the same convention would be make sense for me to hate it as well.  I actually think it is awkward to pronounce.  "Whee-yoo" does not really roll off the tongue... unless you're Japanese which kind of reveals the likely source of the name to begin with.

I think that makes sense. There seem to be a lot of Japanese words which end in a U (Ninjutsu, Nunchuku, Pikachu, etc.) To them the name probably seems natural and they don't see anything wrong with it.

[Minsc]

I'm all ready used to Wii U, it won't be a problem.  In all seriousness, people won't be calling it the Wii U.  People are lazy.

Here's what I called the consoles over the years.

Nintendo Entertainment System - The NES
Super Nintendo Entertainment System - The SNES
Nintendo 64 - The 64 (or N64)
Playstation 2 - PS2
The GameCube - The Cube
The Xbox 360 - The 360

Out of laziness, The Wii U - The U

The U sounds fine to me.

[Chocobo_Rider]

@Chozo Ghost

Actually, I think nearly every single about that conference EXCEPT the name shows they very much want to appease the """hardcore""".

Which one were you watching? Microsoft's? =P

I actually think it is awkward to pronounce.  "Whee-yoo" does not really roll off the tongue... unless you're Japanese which kind of reveals the likely source of the name to begin with.

Agreed 100%.

Out of laziness, The Wii U - The U

The U sounds fine to me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1zTpPEXNGQ

[Adrock]

Didn't stop people who owned the "Nintendo Entertainment System" from buying the "Super Nintendo Entertainment System." Nor Playstation 1, 2, or 3.

I addressed this in other topics. Hardcore gamers won't have a problem distinguishing between the two. Never have and never will. It's everyone else, including and especially casual gamers, that Nintendo should be concerned about.

[Mop it up]

Since there wasn't much at all shown about the system then there isn't much to talk about other than the terrible name, that's part of the problem. This doesn't seem so bad here, everyone complained about it when it was revealed but now they've mostly moved on to discussions about everything else. When this thing is about to release I doubt we'll hear any more about it.

Though it really is a truly awful name, for the reasons mentioned here. I can't say I'm surprised they came up with something worse, though I, personally, had no issue with the name Wii. The Wii already had the aforementioned issue with the image-conscious consumer, and now the Wii U has the issue of sounding too similar to the previous product. So the name is horrible not because it sounds stupid, but because of these problems.

I've seen and heard members of the gaming media, who really should be above this kind of thing, spending far too much time talking about the name of the system, at the expense of discussion about aspects that actually matter.

This kind of thing has been going on for five years now, so I certainly didn't expect it to be any different now.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Now I wish I had actually started working on that pic of an ambulance racing to the scene of an accident while making the weeooh weeooh weeooh sound.

seemed like too much work for a GIMP novice like myself.

I like to put some smoking out the back tires but that's beyond me right this sec and I really should be working.  The Ambulance is from Macross.

if you could replace the sirens with the gifs too, that would be perfect.

You meant the Spinning Sirens?  I don't know how to do that off the top of me head and keep the spinning.

You gotta create layers and each frame of the spinning siren would get it's own frame.

I technically know how to do it, but it takes me forever to do anything as I am teaching myself the program.

[ShyGuy]

hahahaha where is that picture of Jon Lovitz from?

[Adrock]

The Wedding Singer

[Chozo Ghost]

You should find a way to make that ambulance lift up off the ground and then blast off into the future just like that back to the future gif. It would also be cool if the Wii-Us coming out the top could be animated along with it.

[Kytim89]

I am still holding out hope that Nintendo revealed this name just to test the audience and the real name is something more seriuous that will encourage hardcore gamers to buy the system like "Super Wii." When I hear that I think Super Saiyan Goku or something.

[Chocobo_Rider]

I am still holding out hope that Nintendo revealed this name just to test the audience and the real name is something more seriuous that will encourage hardcore gamers to buy the system like "Super Wii." When I hear that I think Super Saiyan Goku or something.

Eff the """hardcore""" gamers, a new name would make many of US happy pandas.

[Adrock]

The brand confusion problems with WiiU still apply to Super Wii. What the **** is a "Super Wii?" Think about the Motion Plus/Wii Remote Plus. These adjectives like "super" or "plus" don't necessarily make you think of something separate. They make you think of something additional, as in for the Wii instead of newer than the Wii or the next Wii.

You understand what "Super Wii" means because you play videogames. My neighbor who doesn't play videogames has no idea what that means and that's why naming it WiiU or Super Wii or Wii HD is potentially a problem. Not sure I'm explaining this well, but I tried.

[Chozo Ghost]

Anything with Wii was a bad idea. That brand name should have been dropped. And before you say they can't drop it due to its popularity, need I point out they did indeed drop the Gameboy brand?

[Mop it up]

Nintendo didn't drop the Game Boy brand after only one generation. It wasn't until they created a handheld that attempted something completely different from what the Game Boy brand was all about that they decided to leave the name behind and create a whole new brand. The Wii U may be a new system, but it is still building on the Wii and Wii controllers are a primary input for it, or at least are for multiplayer games.

[BlkPaladin]

After 15 years, and three major and various minor revisions and one offshoot. They are doing the same thing with the DS, which in it first major revision is the 3DS. The only system that doesn't fit the bill is the Gamecube which was their least popular home console. (The VirtualBoy is the offshoot)

Someone brought up that if they just called it the Wii 2 there wouldn't of been such a reaction because of somewhat expecting it. But just like the Wii name they will get over it.

[Adrock]

Nintendo didn't drop the Game Boy brand after only one generation. It wasn't until they created a handheld that attempted something completely different from what the Game Boy brand was all about that they decided to leave the name behind and create a whole new brand. The Wii U may be a new system, but it is still building on the Wii and Wii controllers are a primary input for it, or at least are for multiplayer games.

One could argue that WiiU is completely different by the definition you provided of Gameboy to DS. A the same time, one could argue that DS was just building on the Gameboy with the touch screen and microphone. Point being, it's too difficult to quantify the effect the changes had to each piece of hardware.

With keeping the Wii brand, Wii 2 would have been the safest bet and even that isn't idiot-proof (mostly because nothing is). Personally, I don't think Wii 2 is a better sounding name than WiiU. It's not about the name sounding stupid; it's about the name defining something.

[Kytim89]

Wii 2 sounds better than WiiU

[BlkPaladin]

It could of been possible to change the name. But with the current way they are setting things up with the multiplayer so dependent on Wii controllers it wouldn't been a sensible move marketing wise.

[Mop it up]

One could argue that WiiU is completely different by the definition you provided of Gameboy to DS. At the same time, one could argue that DS was just building on the Gameboy with the touch screen and microphone.

The goal with the DS was to expand the market, whereas the goal with the Wii U seems pretty much the same as the goal with the Wii, just a better way to go about it.

[Oblivion]

Actually, I think the goal of the Wii U is to do what the Wii couldn't: appeal to all types of gamers. Hence the name.

[Mop it up]

Except that was the goal of the Wii, Nintendo just didn't understand what it would take to accomplish it.

[Adrock]

I'm confused. So if the Wii didn't accomplish that goal that means they would have to change their strategy, hence the tablet controller. And wouldn't that mean Nintendo is doing something different even if the goal remains the same? Using that logic, if they're doing something different, why should they stick with a name that was part of a strategy that failed? That would be counterproductive. Right? Ugh, my head hurts.........

[NintendoFanboy]

im a nintendo fanboy they could call it a turd if they wanted and make it brown and lumppy.
i'd buy it. but the snobbish HD crowd sees Wii(anything) as kiddy mass market
Shovel ware crap console.
 They had to break away from the Wii name, and didnt.
The hardcore, will not buy a add on hard drive( i dont mind) or put up with SD cards.
and will never buy a Wii.
 When the hard core game stop selling in the beginning of its life cycle, and
they quit making the Dark siders II or Ninja Gaiden games, we Nintendo fans will
 be left with a Wii HD and have to buy a 360x2 or Ps4 to get the other games.
Im so over the multiconsole gaming,
So it matters because they want the hardcore but tell the hardcore, Look at out
Kiddy/ family friendly stuff.
 wont happen, but im excited and like i say i welcome the Turd HD.   

[BeautifulShy]

I guess I will chime in on this. For me the system name isn't that important in the big picture. I mean it isn't like we are playing a system because of the name. We are gamers and the games are the things that should matter much for a system. I mean how many here has bought a system based on the systems name? If anybody answers yes then well I really don't get your train of thought. I mean for games themselves isn't the most important thing is the content in the game itself. Look beyond the name and at the ideas and content that the Wii U can have.

[pololmejor]

Has anyone thought about the UDraw? The UDraw has plenty of features the Wii U controller have, and they look simillar so could it be that the U from Wii U had inspiration on the UDraw?

[elcomegato]

Wii is a silly name, but it is fine. It was a strategy to build momentum and brand recognition for the consolethrough word of mouth, because Nintendo lost a lot of media coverage in the Gamecube days. It worked obviously. But....

One thing is call it Wii, and another is being sttuborn to intentionally add another siily word, well a letter. Now, it isn't just the urine jokes, now "f**k u" will be the offensive line to the console for the next 5 years.

I think it's a better idea call the Wii Ultra, because bassically is the famous Wii HD that Patcher dreamed since 2006, and the definitive ultimate version of the Wii, the real vision what Nintendo wanted to be the white machine, like the Wii was for Gamecube.

By calling it Wii Ultra, it would simply sound more cool and serious, and they can simply shorten it as Wii U for marketing purposes. But making Wii U the official name, what sounded dumb with the actual Wii, now it's just terrible and childish. The hardcore people will not take seriously the console

[Chocobo_Rider]

Let's summarize some of what has been established in this thread...

1a. "Wii" had to be in the name.  Had to.  No company builds successful branding and then throws it away.
1b.  Thank god the new console is using all the old controllers.  So yea, it wouldn't make sense to brand it as something completely different.

2a. The first Wii was not supposed to turn off """hardcore""" gamers, but it did.
2b. Choosing a name like "Wii U" is too goofy to put those """hardcore""" gamers at ease.

3. Something like "Wii 2" "Wii Ultra" or "Ultra Wii" (I like that since the N64 was originally the Ultra64, right??) would have been a better choice as it covers nearly all the bases described in this thread.

~~~

Perhaps Nintendo can please us AND them by eventually extending the U to be some other word (like Ultra, or Universe, or Unite, or Uprezed, or .... anything ).  Cuz then they could still save face and be like "Oh, we didn't change the name, it's still the Wii U, but we just added extra meaning to the U."

... I hope Iwata and Reggie are reading this.  Hi guys!! Send me free stuff! Can Miyamoto-san come over and play??

[Minsc]

Wii Uranium.

Yes, the Wii U is nuclear powered.

[Adrock]

@NinSage - I would argue that "Wii" didn't necessarily need to be kept. "Wii" is a recognizable brand. Then again, so is "Nintendo." One thing I noticed in the E3 press conference was that Iwata and Reggie always referred to DS/3DS as "NintendoDS" and "Nintendo3DS" respectively. The word "Nintendo" is even part of the logo with the "o" representing the top screen. Public perception of the company and the name "Nintendo" has changed with each new hardware cycle and it's never been stronger than it has been this past generation in both the handheld and console market. Nintendo is viewed as the company that embracing this "games for everyone" mentality.

That said, using Nintendo's own logic, the name could have easily been "Nintendo[something]" (even NintendoU which also sounds lame but not the same harder to pronounce, Engrish kind of lame as WiiU) and kept everything that people have come to expect from the "Nintendo" brand intact.

[KDR_11k]

I don't care much about the name but I'm worried that just attaching a letter will make uninformed purchasers believe it's only a minor revision of the Wii.


Names like Ultra/Super/Hyper Wii 2 Turbo are just silly. Think about whether the name would fly in any other business, names used by companies like Hoover, Siemens, Panasonic, etc are what the market at large is used to.

[Chocobo_Rider]

@Adrock

Well, sure, but let us not forget that (for reasons unbeknownst to me) it is not the "Nintendo Wii," it's just the "Wii."

So, they have their own branding strategy and are sticking with it just like the "Nintendo" 3/DS.

@KDR

I'm confused. If those names are silly, what do Hoover, Siemens, Panasonic, etc name their products that would be fitting?

[Adrock]

Of course, but point is, people are having identity issues with WiiU while the same can't be said of 3DS. "Wii" is a recognizable brand but "Nintendo" is just as if not more recognizable. That said, had Nintendo called Project Cafe "Nintendo[something]" and not "Wii[something]" we wouldn't be having this conversation right now.

[Mop it up]

The Wii name doesn't have anything to do with the hardcore crowd ignoring it, it's because the system didn't have the games that they wanted to play. If the Wii U has them, then the hardcore gamers will buy it. They might not ever say the name or come up with ways around it (like saying "I got the new Nintendo system"), but they'll go where the games are. In the end, the name will not matter.

[Chocobo_Rider]

... point is, people are having identity issues with WiiU while the same can't be said of 3DS.

No one said otherwise.

"Wii" is a recognizable brand but "Nintendo" is just as if not more recognizable.

Yeeeaaaa, but that's still not really how branding works.  "Apple" is pretty darn recognizable.  You let me know when they stop putting numbers after "iPhone" and call it something else. Nintendo could have tossed out the "Wii" and there would have been good reason to do so.  But there is also very good reason to keep it, just not in this particular way.

That said, had Nintendo called Project Cafe "Nintendo[something]" and not "Wii[something]" we wouldn't be having this conversation right now.

Well, we're having this conversation because the current name is stupid =P Not because it has "Wii" in it.

Similarly, if we were having a conversation about apples, we would not be concerned with oranges. 

[Adrock]

No one said otherwise.

That's not what I was getting at. You mentioned that Nintendo has a branding strategy. I agree. Clearly, they do. The problem is that strategy has so far backfired with WiiU. Many people think it's a controller for the Wii, not a new console. There's a good chance people still aren't going to know the difference a year from now (because people are dumb). That strategy has not backfired with with 3DS because....

Yeeeaaaa, but that's still not really how branding works.

It is when you name your products "NintendoDS" and "Nintendo3DS." Apple doesn't call their products "Apple iMac" or "Apple iPhone." Nintendo refers to each portable by their full name. The word "Nintendo" is the brand or at least part of it.

Well, we're having this conversation because the current name is stupid =P Not because it has "Wii" in it.

It's quite pertinent. The question posed in the topic title is "Is the Name Really That Bad?" I'm arguing that the name is bad because "WiiU" is confusing to a lot of people, not because it sounds stupid. Nintendo could have picked a different but still stupid sounding name which doesn't confuse people. For example, Nintendo could have named it [insert practically any name that doesn't include the word "Wii"] which may sound stupid in a number of ways, but it's not confusing because it's a completely different name. I just used "Nintendo[something]" as the example because, as previously stated, "Nintendo" is a recognizable brand and thus, you'd have a name that is both recognizable and completely different.

[gbuell]

Many people think it's a controller for the Wii, not a new console.

Really? I haven't heard anyone make this mistake. Evidence?

[Adrock]

Did Nintendo Just Screw Up the Launch of Wii U?

But when Wii U – the official name of the new Nintendo machine – made its debut in Los Angeles this morning, the Mario maker left more questions than answers, some of which the company didn’t intend for us to ask:

“Is this a new controller for the old Wii?�

“Do I have to purchase a Wii to use Wii U?�

One could argue that Forbes isn't a gaming news outlet, but that's exactly the point. Gamers know the difference, non-gamers may not.

[NWR_insanolord]

The Wii name doesn't have anything to do with the hardcore crowd ignoring it, it's because the system didn't have the games that they wanted to play. If the Wii U has them, then the hardcore gamers will buy it. They might not ever say the name or come up with ways around it (like saying "I got the new Nintendo system"), but they'll go where the games are. In the end, the name will not matter.

This. If Nintendo releases a console with modern hardware, a (much) better online infrastructure, and strong exclusive software, it really doesn't matter what they call it, people will buy it.

[gbuell]

I'm a lot more interested in actual questions being asked by actual consumers, not fake questions being made up by Forbes to represent what they think actual consumers may say.

It will probably be confusing for some for a short time, but I'm not convinced that this is going to cause a long-term problem with long-term effects.

[Chocobo_Rider]

@Adrock

Well I've said several times I think the new name is going to cause some massive confusion.  So... how about we just agree on that and move on? ^_^

@Mop it up

I didn't see your post until NWR_Insanolord quoted it.  You are quite right I think.

It's funny because a lot of people that need those """hardcore""" games still bought Nintendo products to play the first party stuff.  Could you imagine the potential market share if both those needs could be met by one console?

I'm sure there are those who would disagree, but I just don't think the Sony/MS first party titles can hold a candle to Nintendo's.

[Chozo Ghost]

The Wii name doesn't have anything to do with the hardcore crowd ignoring it, it's because the system didn't have the games that they wanted to play. If the Wii U has them, then the hardcore gamers will buy it. They might not ever say the name or come up with ways around it (like saying "I got the new Nintendo system"), but they'll go where the games are. In the end, the name will not matter.

This. If Nintendo releases a console with modern hardware, a (much) better online infrastructure, and strong exclusive software, it really doesn't matter what they call it, people will buy it.

I'm not so sure of that. I know people who didn't buy a Wii even when it was cool back during the hype days because they hated the name and would have felt embarrassed to own something with that name.

There are people who pay two or three times as much to own name brand shoes or jeans or whatever, so if they would do that just for a brand name, why should it be hard to believe that people would also go out of their way to avoid a console just because of its name?

[Oblivion]

The name is Wii U. Boo fucking hoo. Do you honestly think the name of the damn thing is prevent sales? No way. The simple fact that it has "Wii" in it's name pretty much cements that.

[Killer_Man_Jaro]

The irony is that those who are crying foul at the Wii U moniker have suggested alternatives that I think are much worse. Super Wii? Ha-ha. Wii Stream? Now you're just being silly.

To answer the question in the thread title in short, no. The name Wii U really isn't that bad. The logo they showed may need a bit of work, but I expect that name will stick, and people will soon get over themselves.

[NWR_insanolord]

The irony is that those who are crying foul at the Wii U moniker have suggested alternatives that I think are much worse. Super Wii? Ha-ha. Wii Stream? Now you're just being silly.

I agree with this. Wii U doesn't sound any worse than any of the rumored names we heard ahead of time, except just Nintendo, which would have likely created a lot more confusion than people are claiming Wii U will in addition to other problems.

[Chocobo_Rider]

Well, hey, I'm certainly not gonna be bitter about the name.  I actually find that the gaming world at large is adopting the name a lot more smoothly than I thought.

So, if it winds up not being a problem then, yea, I'll get over it. 

I just really wish there was a hard consonant sound in there somewhere to help the name roll off the tough.  With "Wii U" you have to go out of your way to not just say "wiioo."

[Chozo Ghost]

Do you honestly think the name of the damn thing is prevent sales?

Honestly, yes. It may not be a problem for most people, and it may not be a problem for many people, but it will be a problem for some. I guarantee beyond all doubt that there are some people out there who will refuse to buy this just because of the name alone. I guarantee it. The fact that there are people complaining about it on this very board should be proof enough of that.

[BlackNMild2k1]

I'm a lot more interested in actual questions being asked by actual consumers, not fake questions being made up by Forbes to represent what they think actual consumers may say.

It will probably be confusing for some for a short time, but I'm not convinced that this is going to cause a long-term problem with long-term effects.

The problem comes from the fact that a lot of customers base their opinions on the opinions of the people whose articles they read. So if the news publication is confused about what they saw, they aren't gonna be able to properly report it to the masses (the 99.9% of people that weren't paying attention when the news actually actually broke and only get it over the next few weeks/months from sources like that and other friends/co-workers that tell them after reading articles like that). That leads to the general public being just as confused as the article writer and it is why it's up to Nintendo to make it very clear what their product is, so that is reported with accuracy and clarity for everyone else.

[Chocobo_Rider]

Honestly, yes. It may not be a problem for most people, and it may not be a problem for many people, but it will be a problem for some. I guarantee beyond all doubt that there are some people out there who will refuse to buy this just because of the name alone. I guarantee it. The fact that there are people complaining about it on this very board should be proof enough of that.

C'mon, brotha.  Have some guts.  Give us an estimate!!
Some people will mistake this console for a toaster and slide bread into the disc drive.  Doesn't mean we need this on the side of the case:
 

OK, maybe no one will put bread in it, but some people will do anything extreme.  Stick by your guns and give us more of a statement!  How many people? Hundreds? Thousands? more?

[Adrock]

C'mon, brotha.

[SilverQuilava]

I am NOT kidding when I say that the name "Wii U" sounds almost exactly like an inside joke that only me and my friends have been sharing for a few years. google search "awweeeeoooooo!!!!" exactly as it says and you will understand what the video is. my cousin running back and forth screaming this.